Bicycling may comprise a variety of riding styles and involve engagement with a variety of different types of courses and terrain. It is known to provide a front suspension fork for a bicycle such as a mountain bike. Certain riding styles may present different forces on the rider and bicycle (as well as a heightened level of voluntary risk and possibly of serious injury taken on by the rider). Certain riders may select and use a front suspension fork for their bicycle based on the appropriate anticipated riding style. Bicycling on a trail or road may result in hitting obstacles such as curbs, rocks, trees, roots, holes or similar obstacles in a manner that puts forces on a fork (including in some circumstances forces that a fork may not be designed to absorb).
A front suspension fork for a bicycle such as a mountain bike may comprise a spring and damper. According to a known arrangement the suspension fork has a central steer tube that is coupled to the bike frame and two legs with an axle for the front wheel of the bike. In a typical arrangement, a spring assembly is housed in one leg or tube of the fork and a damper assembly is housed in the other leg of the fork.
It is known to provide a front suspension fork with a damper assembly that comprises a rebound damper assembly or mechanism and a compression damper assembly or mechanism. The compression assembly operates to absorb impact (compressing/shortening the fork length); the rebound assembly operates dampen the return after impact (as the fork returns to its operating length). (When a front suspension fork is compressed to at or near full compression, the fork is said to “bottom-out”.)
Riders (particularly advanced riders) may seek to improve the quality of their riding by making adjustments of the components of their bicycle, including adjustments of the damper assembly/compression assembly of the front suspension fork of their bicycle.